GH-24-0100:Strengthening Delivery of Quality and Equitable Public Health Services for Prevention, Testing, Care, and Treatment of HIV in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago under PEPFAR - The ImpactHealth partnership, led by the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC) and the University of the West Indies Centre for HIV/AIDS Research Education and Services (C.H.A.R.E.S), have collaborated with the Ministries of Health and Civil Society partners in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago to transform HIV prevention, treatment, education, policy, and clinical practice to achieve optimal health for persons at-risk or living with HIV.With technical support from ICAP Columbia University, ImpactHealth is poised to accelerate and sustain the progress made under prior PEPFAR investments in the region by rapidly implementing prevention, testing, and treatment activities that support both countries to achieve and sustain HIV epidemic control. The ImpactHealth Partnership seeks to harness the expertise of its partners to deliver technically sound, culturally appropriate, and community-engaged activities that will significantly reduce HIV transmission, increase patient retention in care, protect the rights and dignity of all PLHIV, and reduce the impact of HIV in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago through two primary strategies: Strategy 1: Strengthen comprehensive HIV prevention and testing services for General Population (GP), Priority Population (PP), Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) and Key Populations (KP). Strategy 2: Provide targeted support for linkage, return to care, retention, and viral suppression activities (e.g., addressing patient literacy barriers, healthcare worker/site staff barriers, etc.) This project will leverage ImpactHealth’s existing partnerships with Caribbean Ministries of Health, Regional Public Health Institutions, and Civil society in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago to execute project activities. CVC has been instrumental in building the technical capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) throughout the Caribbean region, shaping the HIV response in Jamaica, and setting the regional HIV policy agenda. As a KP-led organization with extensive networks in both countries, CVC is well positioned to lead this consortium, supported by C.H.A.R.E.S, which is generally considered the HIV treatment and care site of choice in Jamaica. C.H.A.R.E.S, known for its over 35 years of experience in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and research, will extend innovations in prevention, enhanced treatment and support services, targeted education and training, and robust research initiatives to CDC-supported facilities and the Ministries of Health. ICAP, a global leader in public health, will contribute its experience as a PEPFAR implementing partner to scale up differentiated service delivery models, tailor HIV services to stigmatized and marginalized populations, rapidly scale effective programs to meet 95/95/95 targets and systematically address gaps, support education and training of healthcare workers, and design and implement demonstration projects to guide the successful introduction of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). This proposal outlines a comprehensive approach to address gaps in PrEP implementation, scale up effective targeted testing strategies, increase data utilization by prevention and treatment teams, and support workforce development for psychosocial support and the management of advanced HIV disease in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. We will work with Ministries of Health and strategically build the capacity of other KP-led, women-led, and youth-led trusted NGOs to design, lead and monitor key interventions to accomplish the objectives outlined in this proposal.
